How Cain Met Riff
by PuppetMasterPuppet
Summary: A really old one shot.


"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" The shrieks could be heard throughout the mansion. Most of the servants already knew to dismiss these fits and see them as an everyday routine. If they didn't and intervened, the result would be a day of missed payment. We couldn't have that, now, could we?

"Daddy, stop it, it hurts! Mommy, help me!" We come to a closed wooden door. The door seems normal. It's oak, large and thick, engraved with multiple designs, and polished finely. But wait, don't try to open it! It's securely locked and guarded by a dark-haired woman. This very same woman is the one that started the screaming. She started the tears and the scars that now ran down her son's back.

Moving to the source of the pain, a thin but powerful whip is struck against the back of an eight-year-old boy. The whip is being cracked by his father's strong arm. Again and again, the whip forms velvet-red lines down the small child's skin. Tears stain the boy's beautiful face and fall to the floor, one by one.

"My Lord, you have a visitor at your door. Should I dispel him?" Cain picked up his head and back from his slouched position and stared hopefully at the voice behind the door. He heard his mother scowl and his father sigh.

_Please, please answer the door!_

"No, answer it. I rather tire from today's work, anyway." The Lady spat and made her way out of the room. As the door swung open, it revealed a tall man, not a day older than twenty, with stunning silver hair. He was startled at first, bowing to the Lady as she strutted down the hall. After she passed, he locked eyes with the Lord and cleared his throat.

"Your friend, Theodore, Sir. He claims to have been 'bored'. He's drunk." The Lord chuckled a bit, muttering something about getting new friends, and exited the room as well, leaving little Cain to clean up the mess he'd made. With his sleeve, the boy wiped up the tears, sweat, and blood that was on the floor and quickly ran past the servant.

"…an' there was this huge bar fight, so I punched this guy that attacked me and that's how I got a swollen eye." Theodore grinned at his hosts' reactions. The Lord and Lady, however, were anything but pleased. They sat, glaring at their drunk-beyond-belief guest and held back their smart remarks and comments. If one of them were to snap, Theodore would be wiped off of the face of the Earth faster than the wind itself.

During this time, Cain was running through the garden to his escape. Through the finely cut grass and the dirt, past the tulips and around the big oak tree was Cain's favorite spot. It was a simple white-metal table with a cloth to cover the bottom. The boy crawled under the table and quickly burst into tears.

"Lord Cain…" A fairly quiet voice broke through the cries and someone was trying to pick up the tablecloth. Cain squirmed back, trying to avoid anybody who was likely to scold him. Instead, the cloth was lifted and the servant from before, the one who had saved him, was now sadly smiling at the small boy. He offered a hand, of which Cain slowly and timidly accepted. A smile graced the servant's face as he wiped the tears that stained the young Lord's cheeks.

"Are you alright, Lord? Those scars look a bit painful." The servant gestured toward Cain's back. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights. The one time Cain thought he was free from the scolding, the hitting, the pain, the subject was back on his lap. Without notice, his eyes started tearing up again and he slowly started lurking back under the table.

This, however, was not going to happen. The servant grabbed his master by the arm and pulled him into a tight embrace. Cain's eyes shot open in an instant, but he was quick to reply back to the affection that was being given.

"W-what's your name?" The black-haired boy asked softly. His servant gave a small laugh and pulled back so he could see the face he was talking to.

"My name is Riff, young sir. I'm your manservant and your personal assistant. I'll do anything you ask, take care of you, and I'll be here as your shoulder to cry on. My loyalty is unbreakable, Lord Cain." Riff gave a soft smile and stood from his crouched position on the grass. He ruffled his master's hair, amused at the small pout that was his reply.

"Come, my Lord, let's run a bath and I'll take care of your wounds, hmm?" Cain's arms snaked around Riff left forearm as they made their way into the mansion. When they walked past the family room, Cain noticed something. Though Theodore was now gone, his coat and hat were still hanging near the front door.

_Let it go, Cain, it's probably nothing._

"So, you're not so talkative now, hmm Theodore?" Alexis Hargreaves stood over his examination table, enjoying the site of his drunken former friend mindlessly thrashing under the straps of the table. The equipment was set beside the table and the surgery light was brightly shining in Theodore's eyes.

"You should feel excited. You have the privilege of being my first test subject." And with a round of evil laughter still in the air, we hang our heads on this…rather depressing scene in the first chapter of Cain's destruction.

**Bids you all adieu…**


End file.
